Sept. 11, 2001

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News about Sept. 11, 2001, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 20, 2015

Workers hoist 5,700-pound glass panel into place atop Oculus pavilion at Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center Transportation Hub, which is taking final form after prolonged construction; panel forms skylight that will be opened to the elements for 102 minutes each Sept 11 as part of ceremony commemorating the 2001 terrorist attack. MORE

Jul. 20, 2015

Francis X Clines Editorial Notebook urges extension of health programs benefiting first responders in September 11 terrorist attacks, which are set to expire five years after being passed in 2010; notes many Republicans who were skeptical of program have conceded its success, and calls for quick action before 2016 elections. MORE

Jun. 18, 2015

Federal appeals court revives lawsuit brought by immigrants, many of them Muslims, claiming they were subjected to abuse in Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following September 11, 2001, attacks; suit, originally filed in 2002, targets high-ranking members of George Bush administration, including former Atty Gen John Ashcroft and former FBI Director Robert S Mueller. MORE

May. 1, 2015

Report by group of dissident mental health professionals and activists alleges that American Psychological Assn secretly collaborated with George W Bush administration to provide legal and ethical justification for torture in wake of Sept 11 attacks; APA denies any such coordination, but is awaiting results of internal review; report says presence of APA psychologists allowed administration to salvage interrogation program at time of deep public scrutiny in 2004. MORE

Apr. 30, 2015

Metropolitan Transportation Authority board approves $1 million art project by Ann Hamilton to be featured at Cortlandt Street subway station; stop was destroyed in Sept 11th attacks and is slated to reopen in 2018 where it will be gateway to new World Trade Center and National Sept 11 Memorial Museum; project will fill station's walls with horizontal and vertical text fragments. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Declassified report from 2009 suggests that clandestine nature of National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance and bulk data collection program after September 11, 2001, only served to create more obstacles for American intelligence community. MORE

Apr. 20, 2015

Elevators to observatory of 1 World Trade Center will screen time-lapse panorama of past 515 years in lower Manhattan, showing evolution of skyline as seen from viewer's actual position; footage will include brief image of 2 World Trade Center, south tower that was destroyed on Sept 11, 2001. MORE

Apr. 18, 2015

Letter from Reps Walter Jones and Stephen F Lynch of North Carolina responds to April 14 article on effort by former Sen Bob Graham of Florida to declassify documents he says provide evidence that Saudi Arabia financially supported terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. MORE

Apr. 14, 2015

Former Sen Bob Graham of Florida continues his efforts to force government to disclose evidence that Saudi Arabia financially supported terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; hopes to make public secret section of congressional review he helped write as co-chairman of joint congressional inquiry into attacks. MORE

Mar. 26, 2015

Kenneth R Feinberg, attorney who administered victims' compensation funds after such tragedies as Sept 11 terrorist attacks and others, relates how those experiences led him to reevaluate his own financial planning. MORE

Mar. 20, 2015

Retesting of DNA samples positively identifies Matthew David Yarnell, 26-year-old employee of Fiduciary Trust Company International, as victim of Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center; he is 1,640th victim positively identified. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Ambassador program at National September 11 Memorial Museum, involving six New York City teenagers, allows participants to develop their own hourlong tours of museum and act as guides. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Building Blocks column examines return of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to the World Trade Center following 14 years in Union Square in the wake of the Sept 11 attacks; recalls history of organization's former offices on the 67th floor of the former WTC building. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Former Al Qaeda operative Zacarias Moussaoui's claims that members of Saudi Arabia's royal family helped finance group ahead of September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have returned attention to 2002 lawsuit brought by American lawyer Ron Motley against Saudi Arabia on behalf of attack's victims; Motley died in 2013, having never seen case to completion. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

Lawmakers and relatives of 9/11 victims, bolstered by convicted Al Qaeda member Zacarias Moussaoui's claims that he met with Saudi government officials before 2001 attacks, are resuming calls to declassify 28 pages of 2002 congressional investigation; believe that pages will reveal that Saudi Arabia financed attacks, and could also help determine who is currently funding terrorist activities. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

Prison deposition by former Al Qaeda operative Zacarias Moussaoui contends that prominent Saudi Arabian figures were involved in financing terrorist group in years leading up to September 11, 2001, attacks; accusation, which Saudi Arabia's government has denied, draws attention to some experts' belief that Saudi involvement in 9/11 attacks should be examined. MORE

Dec. 3, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column recommends David Rothkopf book National Insecurity: American Leadership in an Age of Fear, which examines how events of September 11, 2001, transformed American foreign policy for the worse; laments amount of energy and resources spent on preventing unlikely terrorist attacks rather than on rethinking and investing in innovations that will make America more resilient. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

United Nations panel monitoring compliance with international Convention Against Torture treaty presses American delegation in Geneva, expressing skepticism about American law enforcement and national security practices; during two-day presentation United States acknowledges it tortured terrorism suspects after Sept 11 attacks, but emphasizes that government has since tightened its rules. MORE

Nov. 13, 2014

Obama administration tells United Nations panel in Geneva that United States tortured terrorism suspects after September 11 attacks but that it has since taken steps to prevent any future use of unlawful, coercive interrogation techniques; admission before UN panel amounts to government’s most formal acknowledgment of torture before international community. MORE

Nov. 4, 2014

Employees of Conde Nast begin moving into their new offices at 1 World Trade Center; company is first tenant to occupy new building on site, more than 13 years after terrorist attack destroyed the twin towers. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

High-ranking officials of Greek Orthodox Church bless ground where new St Nicholas church will be built in Downtown Manhattan; church was crushed when World Trade Center's south tower collapsed on September 11, 2001. MORE

Oct. 5, 2014

Flag that flew over United States Capitol on Sept 11, 2001, is among several artifacts destroyed in fire at headquarters of Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa, commemorating victims of hijacked jet crash there. MORE

Oct. 4, 2014

Three administrative buildings at Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa, are badly burned during fire; officials are concerned about damage to memorabilia and archived material stored there. MORE

Sep. 25, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Jonathan Hafetz asserts Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, should be spared death penalty if convicted; holds for United States to execute Mohammed without investigating his claims of torture sends disastrous message about impunity for rule of law; contends absence of accountability for those who abetted torture leaves sentencing of convicted terrorists as one of few remaining means to address past abuses of law. MORE

Sep. 24, 2014

Remains of Patrice Braut, only Belgian citizen to die at World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001, are positively identified by office of chief medical examiner of New York City. MORE

Sep. 14, 2014

Serge Schmemann Quick History column reflects on events of the week, including thirteen anniversary of 9/11 attacks, Pres Obama's announcement of expansion of military airstrikes against Islamic State militants and guilty verdict in murder trial of Oscar Pistorius. MORE

Sep. 12, 2014

Pres Obama honors victims of Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the Pentagon day after announcing a new mission to fight Islamist terrorism; makes no mention of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, speaking only of challenges facing the country. MORE

Sep. 12, 2014

Pres Obama's call for expanded American military campaign against militants of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has special resonance among people gathered for ceremonies marking 13th anniversary of Sept 11 terrorist attacks; Jordan Thompson, whose uncle Leon Heyward died in 2008 of lymphoma related to World Trade Center attacks, decides to join the Marines. MORE

Sep. 11, 2014

Building Blocks column; Family Room, onetime private sanctuary for relatives of victims of Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, has been recreated at the New York State Museum in Albany; Family Room first opened in April 2002 in building opposite ground zero, and was only accessible to victims' relatives; museum's collection includes mementos related to about 1,000 victims, roughly one-third of all causalities that day. MORE

Sep. 10, 2014

About 100 children who lost a parent in Sept 11 attacks will begin their college education with full scholarships from Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, formed a week after attacks; it will continue to provide scholarships through 2030. MORE

Sep. 9, 2014

Advertising column; National September 11 Memorial and Museum commemorates 13th anniversary of 2001 terrorist attacks with video about the 'survivor tree,' narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and produced by BBDO Worldwide, along with Twitter fund-raising campaign. MORE

Aug. 22, 2014

Justice Daniel P Fitzgerald of New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan dismisses fraud charges against six police officers and two other city workers accused of faking mental illnesses related to Sept 11 terrorist attacks to obtain federal disability benefits; charges were thrown out due to motion filed by district attorney's office that said there was new evidence suggesting eight defendants might indeed be ill. MORE

Aug. 14, 2014

Many of 800 or so recovered articles on view at National September 11 Memorial Museum relate to telling of time, and in turn help relate unfolding of event; shattered Rolex watch that once belonged to United Airlines Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer carries particular fascination for museum visitors. MORE

Jul. 29, 2014

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey accuses Fishs Eddy, well-known housewares store at Broadway and 19th Street, of unfairly reaping benefit from an association with the agency and with Sept 11 terrorist attacks; store is selling goods that are adorned with fanciful, cartoonish depictions of twin towers, new 1 World Trade Center and Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, labeled with their names, which agency claims as its own assets. MORE

Jul. 26, 2014

Military Judge Col James Pohl rules that Ramzi Binalshibh, one of five prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay naval base charged in the Sept 11 attack, should be tried separately from his co-defendants. MORE

Jul. 18, 2014

Senate overwhelmingly approves seven-year extension of the federal insurance program first approved after attacks of Sept 11, 2001, when developers suddenly found their projects uninsurable. MORE

Jul. 16, 2014

House Republicans' efforts to pare federal terrorism insurance have caused some Republicans from metropolitan areas to join many Democrats in opposing move; program was created to help businesses rebuild after attacks of Sept 11, 2001. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Lawyers for Guantanamo Bay detainees accused of aiding Sept 11 terrorist attacks are seeking further delays; argue that defense teams have faced more scrutiny by the Federal Bureau of Investigation than had previously come to light, and need to determine possible conflicts of interest. MORE

May. 29, 2014

Michael Kimmelman argues that to be successful, the World Trade Center site must carefully negotiate its dual identity as both Sept 11 memorial and busy hub in a living city; holds that for all its somber beauty, site has failed to balance the two roles, and does little to celebrate city's values of energy, diversity and openness. MORE

May. 18, 2014

Look column presents photos by photographer Andrew Moore of artifacts at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. MORE

May. 17, 2014

Many New Yorkers say that they do not plan to visit National September 11 Memorial Museum when it opens in May, reluctant to re-live event they experienced first hand. MORE

May. 16, 2014

Pres Obama and other dignitaries join rescue workers and families of Sept 11 victims to dedicate the new National September 11 Memorial Museum; about700 guests attend somber ceremony held in museum's Foundation Hall. MORE

May. 16, 2014

Editorial praises dedication ceremony for the National September 11 Memorial Museum in Lower Manhattan; notes that it was a day for remembering extraordinary people like 24-year-old Welles Crowther, who helped save the lives of many people but did not survive. MORE

May. 14, 2014

Holland Cotter reviews the National September 11 Memorial Museum at ground zero in Lower Manhattan; contends museum, which is finally set to open, is an emotionally overwhelming experience for visitors, particularly New Yorkers who were in the city on the day of the terrorist attacks. MORE

May. 11, 2014

Families of Sept 11 victims gather at plaza of World Trade Center memorial as the unidentified remains of people killed there are moved to what may be their final resting place, repository at ground zero; some relatives of victims wore black gags over their mouths to protest what they said was a lack of consultation about the decision to move the remains to what is likely to be a major tourist attraction. MORE

May. 6, 2014

New York City notifies families of September 11 victims that unidentified remains of those killed at the World Trade Center will be moved to specially built repository in National September 11 Memorial Museum; news is met with mixture of anger, confusion and acceptance, reflecting divisions of opinion, and continued heightened passions, of family members. MORE

Apr. 24, 2014

Advisory group of religious leaders says documentary film The Rise of Al Qaeda, on view at the soon-to-open National September 11 Memorial Museum, is offensive to Muslims and may generate prejudice against them; museum officials stand by the film, which they say was vetted by several scholars of Islam and of terrorism. MORE

Apr. 19, 2014

Covert FBI inquiry into defense teams at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, reflects government's deep involvement in cases and could delay prosecution of those involved in the Sept 11 attacks; agents interrogated contractor employed by defense team of accused terrorist Ramzi bin al-Shibh, forcing him to sign confidentiality agreement; investigation has become the focus of pretrial hearings. MORE

Mar. 31, 2014

Organizers face a political and emotional minefield as opening approaches for the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York City; must balance expectations and sensitivities among survivors, victims' families, emergency responders and other groups who feel a special connection to Sept 11. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, most senior adviser to Osama bin Laden to be tried in civilian court, details meeting with former Al Qaeda leader in a cave in Afghanistan on the night of the Sept 11 attacks; Abu Ghaith's testimony gives government rare opportunity to cross-examine someone with extraordinary ties to Bin Laden, revealing detailed portrait. MORE

Dr. Lioy was an environmental scientist who was widely known for his analysis of the dust spawned by the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and for his studies of its health effects over time.